NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee's new governor says it won't be easy shoring up the state's budget, which will have to be cut by about $1 billion.
Republican Bill Haslam was sworn in Saturday. He takes over for Phil Bredesen, a Democrat who could not run for re-election because of term limits.
Haslam said in his inauguration speech that the state must set the bar high when it comes to education and the economy, even though officials will need to cut about $1 billion from the budget. That's to make up for the federal stimulus money that will be lost this year.
The 52-year-old is a former executive for the Pilot chain of truck stops and former mayor of Knoxville.
Haslam won in a landslide in November, when the GOP made huge gains across the country.
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